The Artist Icon category honors artists whose practices have fundamentally reshaped the cultural landscape, extending far beyond the boundaries of the art world to influence how we see, think, and engage with power, language, and history. This year’s Medalists bring particular focus to the enduring impact of women artists whose work has not only challenged dominant narratives but redefined them entirely. These are figures whose work has not only endured over decades but continues to define the terms of contemporary discourse.

Among them is Barbara Kruger (b. 1945, United States), whose incisive use of text and image since the 1970s has exposed and resisted the structures that shape visibility, authority, and belief, confronting viewers with the question of who speaks and who is silenced. Howardena Pindell (b. 1943, United States), whose six-decade career spans painting, video, and curatorial work, has consistently challenged the exclusions of the art world while advancing a deeply experimental and politically engaged practice. Jenny Holzer (b. 1950, United States), working across public space and institutional contexts, has spent more than forty years bringing language into the open, using text as both medium and message to confront ignorance and violence with what she describes as “humor, kindness, and courage.”

In the Established Artist category, María Magdalena Campos-Pons (b. 1959, Cuba) traces histories of migration and colonialism across disciplines. Arthur Jafa (b. 1960, United States) uses film and music to examine Black life, rejecting convention, while Theaster Gates (b. 1973, United States) expands artistic practice through socially engaged work spanning sculpture and urbanism. Rirkrit Tiravanija (b. 1961, Buenos Aires) foregrounds participation, and Apichatpong Weerasethakul (b. 1970, Thailand) reshapes cinematic language through memory and perception. Julie Mehretu (b. 1970, Ethiopia) maps contemporary complexity while extending her work through community-building.

In the Emerging Artist category, the 2026 Awards spotlight artists reimagining systems, communities, and form. Farah Al Qasimi (b. 1991, Abu Dhabi) explores identity, colonialism, and taste across image, film, and sound; Carla Gueye (b. 1997, France) builds intimate material worlds bridging personal and collective histories while advocating for artist-defined ecosystems. Diego Marcon (b. 1985, Italy) creates psychologically charged films that disrupt narrative conventions, and Aziza Kadyri (b. 1994, Russia) merges textile traditions with emerging technologies to reframe Central Asian identity through collaboration. Precious Okoyomon (b. 1993, London) grounds their practice in ecology, while Tiffany Sia (b. 1988, Hong Kong) interrogates systems of visibility, power, and law. Together, they reflect practices that are porous, relational, and responsive to contemporary conditions.

Cross Disciplinary Creator medalists include experimental music pioneer Laurie Anderson (b. 1947, United States) and architect-artist Sumayya Vally (b. 1990, South Africa), founder of Counterspace, whose work redefines urban design through African and Islamic cultural frameworks, and architect Kulapat Yantrasast (b. Thailand), Founder and Creative Director of WHY Architecture, an interdisciplinary practice working at the intersection of art, architecture, landscape, objects, and cultural life.

Among medalists in the Patron category, Mercedes Vilardell has advanced the visibility of African art through her work with institutions including Tate, Centre Pompidou, and the Reina Sofía Foundation, alongside global support for residencies and emerging artists. Pamela J. Joyner has driven recognition of artists of the African diaspora through collecting, institutional leadership, and founding the Black Trustee Alliance for Art Museums. The Teiger Foundation supports curators through research, experimentation, and more equitable structures.

Museum & Institution Medalists include The Brick in Los Angeles, led by Hamza Walker, addressing urgent cultural debates; the Diriyah Biennale Foundation in Saudi Arabia, a key platform for regional artistic development; and SAVVY Contemporary in Berlin, a research-driven, collective space engaging diverse knowledge systems.

In the Media and Storyteller category, Siddhartha Mitter bridges criticism and curatorial work, contributing to the realization of Koyo Kouoh’s Venice Biennale vision. Anton Vidokle, artist, curator, and founder of e-flux, spans filmmaking, exhibitions, and publishing, while Hilton Als moves between criticism, literature, and academia, shaping cultural discourse.

Allies include Independent Curators International (ICI), led by Renaud Proch, supporting curatorial exchange globally; New Curators, led by Kerryn Greenberg and Mark Godfrey, developing emerging curatorial voices; and the Studio Museum in Harlem’s Artist-in-Residence program, sustaining artistic development.

Medalists honored in the Curator category include Azu Nwagbogu, founder of the African Artists’ Foundation and LagosPhoto Biennale; Stuart Comer of MoMA, shaping contemporary art presentation across media; and Diana Campbell, whose work with the Dhaka Art Summit and Samdani Art Foundation emphasizes collaboration and research-driven exhibition-making.

Chaired by Vincenzo de Bellis, the international Art Basel Awards jury is comprised of nine industry leaders and experts, carefully chosen for their expertise, influence, and demonstrated commitment to shaping the future of arts.

In 2026, the Awards welcome a new jury member: Prof. Dr. Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung, Director and Chief Curator of Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW) in Berlin. He joins the jury following the passing of the esteemed curator Koyo Kouoh, who was part of the jury in the first cycle of the Awards and played an integral role in their inaugural cycle.

Returning members of the jury include Hans Ulrich Obrist, Director of the Serpentine in London; Adriano Pedrosa, Artistic director of the São Paulo Museum of Art in São Paulo; Elena Filipovic, Director of Kunstmuseum Basel in Basel; Franklin Sirmans,Director of Sandra and Tony Tamer and Perez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) in Miami; Jessica Morgan, Director of Dia Art Foundation and Nathalie de Gunzburg in New York; Hoor Al-Qasimi, President and Director of the Sharjah Art Foundation in the United Arab Emirates; Philip Tinari, Director and Chief Executive, UCCA Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing; and Suhanya Raffel, Museum Director, M+, Hong Kong.

The 2026 Medalists will be honored during Art Basel’s flagship show in Basel, Switzerland, this June, where they will take an active role across the program. A selection of Medalists will headline a public, artist-lead Conversations series, offering audiences direct access to some of the most influential voices shaping contemporary culture today, including them are Arthur Jafa, Maria Magdalena Campos Pons, Mercedes Vilardell, and Precious Okoyemon.

Later this year, Gold Awardees will be selected through an independent peer-driven review process and announced at the Official Art Basel Awards Night during Art Basel Miami Beach in December. In a model that moves beyond traditional prize structures, Gold Awards in the artist categories provide over USD 250,000 annually in flexible support - spanning honorariums, philanthropic contributions, and ambitious public commissions - creating new opportunities for artists to realize work on a global stage. Medalists also get access to Art Basel's global network, personalized mentorship, partnership opportunities, and customized support to help their work reach a global audience.

Building on its inaugural year, the impact of the 2025 Medalists is already unfolding across institutions, exhibitions, and new commissions worldwide. As part of the inaugural class, Gold Awardees Nairy Baghramian and Ibrahim Mahama will unveil two major new public works in Basel this June, marking the first time that commissions stemming from the Awards program premiere in the city where their recognition first took shape. Baghramian’s work will unfold on the Messeplatz, while Mahama will present a large-scale installation on the Münsterplatz, extending Art Basel’s presence into the public realm and reinforcing its commitment to supporting artists beyond the exhibition hall.

Further developments across the 2025 cohort underline the Awards’ role as a catalyst for ongoing visibility and production. Cao Fei(Established Artist) will open a major exhibition at Kunstmuseum Basel in May 2026 – coinciding with Art Basel in Basel -, while Ibrahim Mahama (Established Artist) will also present a significant exhibition at Fondation Cartier later in the year. Saodat Ismailova’s (Emerging Artist) first US solo exhibition opened at Swiss Institute in New York in early 2026, and Lydia Ourahmane(Emerging Artist) will present a major new body of work at the Nicoletta Fiorucci Foundation in Venice. Lubaina Himid (Icon Artist) will represent the United Kingdom at the 2026 Venice Biennale, while Raw Material Company (Museum and Institution), founded by Koyo Kouoh, plays a central role in the Biennale’s 2026 edition through Marie Hélène Pereira’s curatorial involvement in the international exhibition.

The Awards’ model of flexible support continues to generate tangible outcomes. In the Icon category, 2025 Gold Awardee Cecilia Vicuña has dedicated her USD 50,000 Gold Award donation to the Fungi Foundation, extending the impact of the Awards into environmental research and advocacy.

This year also marks the launch of the Koyo Kouoh Fellowship, developed in collaboration with RAW Material Company. The three-year program supports emerging curators, writers, and cultural practitioners, and will take place during Art Basel in Basel in 2026.

Art Basel is pleased to announce the inaugural Fellow: Aisha Aliyu-Bima. Aisha Aliyu-Bima is a curator, writer, photographer, researcher, and archivist whose work engages contemporary art through an anthropological and geographical lens. Her practice spans research, writing, and exhibition-making, with projects presented across Lagos, Abuja, Kaduna, Kano, and Budapest. Her writing has appeared in Republic Journal, Za! Magazine, Alewa House, and Radr Africa.

Established in loving memory of Koyo Kouoh (December 24, 1967 – May 10, 2025), the Fellowship honors her enduring commitment to critical discourse, institutional innovation, and the support of emerging voices.

Amplifying contemporary artistic practice among fashion's global cultural audience, the Art Basel Awards are presented in partnership with renowned fashion brand BOSS, the core brand of HUGO BOSS. The Art Basel Awards embody the Group's longstanding commitment to driving innovation and dialog in the arts and its related fields.

In December 2025, the inaugural BOSS AWARD for Outstanding Achievement was presented to Meriem Bennani, recognizing a practice that resonates across and beyond the art ecosystem. The award celebrates work that reflects the BOSS spirit of boldness, personal authenticity, ambition, and responsibility.

The next BOSS AWARD will be presented at the Official Art Basel Awards Night during Art Basel Miami Beach in December 2026.